Hammer Films Archives

The Mummy’s Shroud is a 1967 horror film made in the UK by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by Hammer veteran John Gilling.

It stars André Morell and David Buck as explorers who uncover the tomb of an ancient Egyptian mummy. It also starred John Phillips, Maggie Kimberly and Michael Ripper as Longbarrow, in one of his most celebrated roles for the studio. Stuntman Eddie Powell (Christopher Lee’s regular stunt double) played the Mummy, brought back to life to wreak revenge on his enemies.

The uncredited narrator in the prologue is sometimes assumed to be Peter Cushing, although no record exists.

It was the third of Hammer’s four Mummy films, a cycle which began in 1959 with The Mummy, continued with The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964), and ended with Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971). It was the last to feature a bandaged mummy – the final film contained no such character.

It was the final Hammer production to be made at Bray Studios, the company’s home until 1967, when its productions moved to Elstree Studios and occasionally Pinewood.

Trivia:

Peter Cushing is often credited as Narrator, but Hammer Films had no record of who the Narrator is.

David Buck was second choice for Paul Preston.

After more than fifteen years, this became the last Hammer production to be shot at Bray Studios.

Frankenstein Created Woman is a 1967 British Hammer Horror film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein and Susan Denberg as his new creation. It is the fourth film in Hammer’s Frankenstein series.

Where Hammer’s previous Frankenstein films were concerned with the physical aspects of the Baron’s work, the interest here is in the metaphysical dimensions of life, such as the question of the soul, and its relationship to the body.

Trivia:

In an interview in the TV Times, Keith Barron says that he turned down a horror film, and from his description of the role and the film, it sounds like the Derek Fowlds part in this film.

Susan Denberg is dubbed.

We are never told in which Country the film is set, however the Coat of Arms on the coach is that of the Canton of Berne in Switzerland.

The Evil of Frankenstein is a 1963 British horror film made by Hammer Studio. Directed by Freddie Francis, the film stars Peter Cushing and New Zealand wrestler Kiwi Kingston.

The film’s version of the Monster is noted for resembling Universal Pictures’ famous Frankenstein series of the 1930s and ’40s, including the flat-headed look of Jack Pierce’s monster make-up originally designed for Boris Karloff as well as the distinctive laboratory sets. Earlier Hammer Frankenstein movies had studiously avoided such similarities for copyright reasons but a new movie distribution deal with Universal helped provide some latitude.

Trivia:

When first shown on television in 1968, some theatrical scenes were replaced by less intense scenes filmed by another director and with extra actors included.

Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher was originally slated to direct the film, but had to bow out after an automobile accident, leaving cameraman Freddie Francis at the helm.

In The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Hammer were barred from copying any details from the Universal films of the 1930s and ’40s, including the famous monster make-up. This film, however, was distributed by Universal, and so Hammer had free rein to copy elements from the Universal franchise, most noticeably the creature’s make-up and the laboratory sets.

Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell is a 1974 British horror film from Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by Terence Fisher and starred Peter Cushing and David Prowse. Filmed at Elstree Studios in 1972 but not released until 1974, it was the final chapter in Hammer’s Frankenstein series of films and director Fisher’s last film.

Trivia:

Peter Cushing claimed that the wig he was required to wear made him look like Helen Hayes.

The Curse of Frankenstein is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions. It was Hammer’s first colour film, and the first of their Frankenstein series. Its worldwide success led to several sequels, and the studio’s new versions of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959) and established “Hammer Horror” as a distinctive brand of Gothic cinema. The film was directed by Terence Fisher and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Lee and Cushing would both go on to enjoy long film careers, usually as the protagonists in other films of the same genre.

Trivia:

For many years this held the distinction of being the most profitable film to be produced in England by a British studio.

The first Frankenstein movie to be filmed in color

The idea originated with Milton Subotsky, who went on to co-found Amicus Films, Hammer’s main rival during the 1960s and early 1970s. The script was revised several times to avoid repeating any elements from the Universal Frankenstein series. As part of this effort, new monster make-up had to be devised especially for this film.

Christopher Lee’s monster make-up was almost literally done at the “last minute”. After previous attempts to design a monster make-up using a cast of Lee’s head had failed, make-up artist Philip Leakey made the final design the day before shooting began, directly onto Lee’s face, using primarily cotton and other household materials. Since he didn’t use any latex or molds, the make-up had to be recreated from scratch every day.

The original concept for this film was a black-and-white feature with Boris Karloff as Baron Frankenstein. Universal threatened a lawsuit if Hammer copied any elements from the classic Universal version. Hammer had Jimmy Sangster completely redo the script and had Jack Asher shoot it in Eastmancolour.

This is not the first time Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee starred together. Lee had a small role in Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet (1948), in which Cushing played Osric. The two had also appeared in Moulin Rouge (1952), though they shared no scenes.

Bernard Bresslaw was considered for the role of the Creature, on account of his height.

Patrick Troughton appeared in a brief role as a mortuary attendant. Although his name is credited on some early publicity material his scenes were cut from the finished film.

Although they had both previously appeared in Hamlet (1948) and Moulin Rouge (1952), Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing met on the set of this film for the first time. They would pass the time between shots by exchanging Looney Tunes phrases, and quickly developed a fast friendship, which lasted until Cushing’s death in 1994.

The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) is a British film based on the novel The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore. The film was made by the British film studio Hammer Film Productions and was shot at Bray Studios.

Trivia:

The only werewolf movie made by Hammer Studios.

Makeup-artist Roy Ashton based his makeup for this film on Jack P. Pierce’s makeup for The Wolf Man (1941).

Vampire Circus is a 1972 British horror film directed by Robert Young for Hammer Film Productions. It stars Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters and Anthony Higgins (billed as Anthony Corlan). The story concerns a travelling carnival whose vampiric artistes prey on the children of a 19th-century Austrian village. It was filmed at Pinewood Studios.

Trivia:

Robert Tayman was dubbed by David de Keyser.

Laurence Payne was an 11th hour casting choice replacing Anton Rodgers who dropped out because of illness.

According to various books on Hammer films this film went over schedule and some key scenes were never filmed.

To the Devil… A Daughter is a 1976 horror film made by Hammer Film Productions, directed by Peter Sykes. It stars Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Honor Blackman, Nastassja Kinski and Denholm Elliott. The original music score was composed by Paul Glass.

The film was adapted from the 1953 novel of the same name by Dennis Wheatley. It was the second of Wheatley’s “black magic” novels to be filmed by Hammer, following The Devil Rides Out, released in 1968. It was marketed with the tagline “…and suddenly the screams of a baby born in Hell!”

Trivia:

Michael Goodliffe and Anthony Valentine were cast at short notice

The last film Of Michael Goodliffe.

Olivia Newton-John was a candidate for Catherine.

Cliff Robertson was seriously favored for Verney (Richard Widmark).

Ken Russell and Mike Hodges were approached to direct the film.

The “Hill near Warburton” Mausoleum is actually the Dashwood Mausoleum in West Wycombe. Currently National Trust Property, it used to belong to the notorious Hellfire Club.

The preproduction was troubled by Hammer and EMI problems in finding a suitable name actor for Verney and a director too.

Two high-priced British actors were cast as David and George De Grass but because Richard Widmark fee was higher than expected. The roles of David and George De Grass were recast at the 11th hour.

The Kiss of the Vampire, also known as Kiss of Evil, is a 1963 British vampire film made by the film studio Hammer Film Productions. The film was directed by Don Sharp and was written by producer Anthony Hinds credited under his writing pseudonym John Elder.

Trivia:

Universal Pictures delayed the release of this film by a few months so that a comparison could not be made with the concurrently released Hitchcock film The Birds (1963).

Lust For a Vampire (also known as Love for a Vampire or To Love a Vampire) is a 1971 British Hammer Horror film directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Yutte Stensgaard, Michael Johnston and Barbara Jefford. It is the second film in the so-called Karnstein Trilogy loosely based on the J. Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla. It was preceded by The Vampire Lovers and followed by Twins of Evil (1971). The three films do not form a chronological development, but use the Karnstein family as the source of the vampiric threat. The three films were somewhat daring for the time in explicitly depicting lesbian themes. It was given an R rating for some violence, gore, strong adult content, and nudity.

Production of Lust For a Vampire began not long after the release of The Vampire Lovers.

The film has a cult following although some Hammer Horror fans have accused it of being overly camp and silly. Its most noted scene shows Yutte Stensgaard chest drenched in blood and partially covered by blood-soaked rags.

Other notable actors in the film are Ralph Bates, Harvey Hall (who has a different role in each film of this series), David Healy and popular radio DJ Mike Raven.

Trivia:

Jimmy Sangster replaced Terence Fisher at very short notice.

Ralph Bates was cast at very short notice.

Ingrid Pitt turned down the lead because she thought the script was terrible.

Peter Cushing was originally intended to play the lead but asked to bow out so that he could continue to look after his ailing wife

Despite Mike Raven being a well-known radio presenter, his voice was dubbed by Valentine Dyall.

Yutte Stensgaard receives an “introducing” credit in the film’s theatrical trailer but not in the actual film’s credits. She had appeared in several films beforehand and this was in fact one of her very last roles before leaving the acting profession.